LPRD enters the fall in the black- thanks to hard work and careful planning!

By T. Myers

La Pine Park and Recreation District is making history once again! They are in the black for the first time since the district formed and it is due to the careful monitoring of the General Manager, Karen Miller and the LPRD board of Directors and their budget committee.

The story is not a new one to folks, over the past few years there were three changes made to the district administration in management and when it was time for new General Manager, Ms. Miller to review the budget for the FY 2015-2016, she was quick to point out that it looked like there would be a shortfall for the new year’s Budget. But she did not stop there. She got her staff and the board and budget committee together to consider the options. It seems that the fiscal year of July 1st to June 30th does not take into account the fact that the tax based district is awarded funds in November each year leaving an actual fiscal gap of four months to fill. She asked the district to begin to plan how to close the gap and explained that it might logically take as long as three years to close. However, at this juncture, Miller has reported that the district will be able to cover the expenses of day to day operations with a small carry over of a few thousand going into November.

This is good news indeed because it means there will be no additional need to go outside the budget. The fact that she and her staff have been able to cut the expenses to fit the amount of money that she has to work with is testimony to her skills at balancing the budget as a hard liner.

There are a few considerations for the community to look at going into fall. The old John C Johnson building needs a roof and the Community Hall at Finley Butte Park is sitting- waiting to be cleaned up and repaired so it can go back into class and meeting space usage. The district is pursuing gents to help with the emergency expenses so that repairs can be made in a timely manner. In the meantime, there are several community partners that are stepping up to the plate, ready and willing to help with clean-up, demo and other projects to bring the two centers back into shape.

If you would like to help the LPRD to do these projects, there is opportunity for sponsorships for fixing specific parts of the two sites and partnerships are being formed now to work together in the future so that the community will have full access to the buildings.

If you are interested, call Karen Miller at 541-536-2223 or contact board chairman, Gary Gordon at the same number and talk about how you would like to help the district make these special historic places usable again!

LPRD is always looking for volunteers to help with the Community School Program (HUB), the sports programs and for Adult Education. Please call or stop by today and let the LPRD know of your interest!